Cooper determined to end Crokes’ heartache

A DECADE ago, he was the teenage tyro. Dr Crokes pitched a 17 year-old in at corner-forward for the 2000 Kerry county final, but Colm Cooper’s nascent talent ensured the selection was a minimal task.

The presence of four older brothers – Vince, Mike, Mark and Danny – in the Killarney club’s set-up offered the youngster plenty protection. and he did his bit in helping Dr Crokes pip An Ghaeltacht by a point that day.

That county medal was the precursor to a career of national stardom, and since then he hasaccumulated a treasure trove of inter-county accolades.

But any notions that Dr Crokes’ victory was a glimpse of what future club riches lay ahead were soon dispelled. The frustrations have piled up since. Three final defeats, a couple of semi-final reversals and an All-Ireland club final loss in 2007 pitched in for good measure. The family dimension means that 2000 success will always be special but Cooper’s yearning for another medal is great.

“I remember the whole day in 2000. It was very much family orientated when I had four brothers playing with me. Everyone was rushing around that morning at home, getting gloves and socks and making sure that we had the best of everything. I was just a young fella and when you’re that young you think, ‘this is going to happen every year’. But we lost semi-finals in 2001 and 2002, we never got going in 2003 and in all of the years that we got to the final, we just never got over the line, never managed to do enough.”

There has been a common thread to their final heartaches as the men from the Iveragh peninsula administered the pain on each occasion. In 2005 South Kerry had three points to spare, in 2006 and 2009 the margin was a single point. A fortnight ago Dr Crokes finally turned the tables but Cooper gives short shrift to talk that the southern division had a hex over those on Lewis Road.

“I think there’s been too much made of the South Kerry factor. There was only a kick of the ball in it, anytime we played them. The fact of the matter is that South Kerry are a fantastic team. It’s not like it was a big surprise that they beat us. We ran them as close as we could but for whatever reason, things didn’t run for us. When we did beat them in the semi-final, there was no one running around the field celebrating that we’d finally run. We’d won nothing and we’ve lost too many finals to take anything for granted.”

For Cooper this year’s county championship campaign has been a novel experience. Since he entered the fray for Kerry in 2002, inter-county duties in late August and September are all he has ever known. This season his All-Ireland interests were terminated at the beginning of August but after that Down dejection, he found refuge in his club. Being absent from Dr Crokes for large chunks of campaigns used to bother him, so he relished this opportunity.

“It was very disappointing after the Down game, but coming into the club set-up certainly galvanised me. If you come back in after an All-Ireland, everything seems to be rushed and you’re playing week after week. It’s hard to build up for that. In fairness we’ve had a good period now since the start of August and it’s great to be in with the group. Going to county league games this year isn’t enjoyable because you want to be out there helping. We’re a much happier bunch now.”

He accepts that solving the club vs county conflict is one of the great imponderables of the GAA.

“It is difficult. I can totally understand the county scene. You’re trying to look after guys as best you can. If I was Jack O’Connor sitting here, I’d realise that there’s an element of burnout if you let guys go play county league games and club championship games. It’s done in other counties, in Cork they seem to play their club games regardless of senior championship. This is the way they do it in Kerry. But I’m never happy as a supporter just watching my club playing. Still, this is the environment we live in and we’ve to get on with it.”

The thought of travelling to Tralee tomorrow to face Austin Stacks excites him. Dr Crokes have a score to settle after losing out to them in the club championship earlier this year.

“It’s going to be a ‘classic’ county final, I think. It’s the first time in a while that has happened, so I think it’s going to be a good day for Kerry football. They are going to have ferocious support, they have great followers. On the pitch I expect them to be tough and tenacious. They seem to have big threats inside. Dara Long had a massive day for them the last day and Star (Kieran Donaghy) is capable of doing anything. With Wayne and William doing the work with them, they will be very well prepared. But with the effort that we have put in, we’re hoping that we have done enough and that we’ve learned from our mistakes over the last two years. On Sunday we’ll find out.”